Diffuser



Nov. 4,1958`l H. F. LATHROP DIFFUSER F'iledNov. 27, 1956 6' mlm www" IIImh.

. INVENTOR HAROLD F. LATHROP ATTORNEY nnurusuu Harold F. Lathrop, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignor to Amana Refrigeration, Inc., Amann, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application November 27, 1955, Serial No. 624,559

4 Claims. (Cl. 98--4tl) This invention relates to improvements in a diiiuser assembly or the like used in connection with air distribution systems.

Considerable resistance is added to an air distribution system due to registers, diiusers or the like, and frequently it becomes necessary to deviate from the conventional design of registers and dilusers in order to reduce the high resistance of an air distribution system. Therefore, by reducing the air resistance, a smaller centrifugal fan motor can be used, and reducing the initial cost of installation. By using the smaller centrifugal fan and motor, the operating costs of the air distribution system will be greatly reduced. With this invention, the overall air resistance is greatly reduced. Therefore, by using this invention, the initial installation costs and operating costs are greatly reduced.

In the prior art, a diffuser or register could be manually adjusted to control the quantity of air and direction of air by changing the arrangement of the dellectors and bales, therefore changing the outward appearance. This invention provides for a diiuser or register to be manually adjusted to control the quantity and direction of air without changing the outward appearance as in the prior art.

An object of this invention is to provide a diffuser which is constructed with a minimum number of parts.

Another object of this invention is to reduce the resistance to air flow through the diiuser.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for controlling the quantity of air flow.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a diffuser with individually adjustable deilectors to regulate the quantity of ow in more than one direction.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a diffuser whereby the direction of air llow is adjustable.

A further object of this invention is to provide a diffuser which is flush mounted with the ceiling.

Another object of this invention is to provide a diuser with an attractive and unobtrusive appearance.

A further object of this invention is to provide a diffuser through which the tlow of air may be blocked olf or stopped by a simple arrangement of integral bendable deflectors.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a diffuser which attaches directly to the supply air duct, therefore reducing the air leakage.

Another object of this invention is to provide a diffuser which does not change in outward appearance due to adjustments for quantity, direction, and throw of air.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a diluser where the throw of air is controlled.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a diffuser with sound absorbent material to reduce noise due to air velocity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a diffuser which has no moving parts, therefore needs no servicing after the air distribution system is balanced.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein the preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view partially cutaway showing my diffuser and the arrangement of deiiectors and the baie, and

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the diffuser mounted in the ceiling and attached to an air supply duct.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and to the form of this invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, there is illustrated a diiuser 10 which includes the casing 11, deectors 12, and an adjustable baiile 13.

The casing 11 includes the top or inner end wall 14, side walls 15 which have a peripheral marginal flare 16 to which a peripheral integral ange 17 is attached. The top Wall 14 of the casing 11 encloses a series of oriiices 1S which are the air inlet openings. The side walls 15 form an air passage-way from the supply duct 19 into the space which is to be air conditioned or ventilated. The casingA 11, the top wall 14, the side walls 15, and the detlectors 12 are of a one-piece construction.

The deectors 12 are stamped from the top wall 14 leaving side 20 of the deiiectors 12 attached to the top wall 14 at the center. The deiiectors 12 may be bent downwardly to vary the quantity of air.

An adjustable baffle 13 isy mounted transverely of the air flow outlet and is employed to adjust the throw of air. The adjustable baffle 13 includes resilient mountings 21, the plate 22, and sound absorbent material 23. The resilient mountings 21 are of a U angular shape and are spot welded to the plate 22. The plate 22 includes an upwardly turned peripheral ange 24 to conceal the resilient mountings 21. A layer of sound absorbent material 23 is mounted upon the plate 22 of the bale 13 to reduce air velocity noise. The adjustable battle 13 is mounted into the diffuser 10 by the resilient mountings 21 tting into the holes 25, 26, and 27 of the side walls 15. Holes 25, 26, and 27 align with an identical set of holes in the opposite wall. The adjustable baille 13 is mounted by the holes 25 for maximum throw of air, and when the adjustable baille is mounted by holes 27 the throw of air is minimum. The holes 26 are for intermediate throw of air.

The casing 11 is mounted through a rough opening in the ceiling 28 and secured therein with wood screws 29. The wood screws 29 protrude through the ceiling 28 and engage in a wooden framing 30 installed between the ceiling joists 31. A gasket 32 seals the space between the diffuser 10 and the ceiling 28. The supply duct 19 is then slipped over the casing 11 and is secured in place by pressure sensitive tape 33. The inside of the supply duct 19 is sealed to the casing 11 with caulking compound 34, thereby reducing the air leakage between the diffuser 10 and the supply duct 19. Although this invention is shown as using a Fiberglas duct, it is well adapted to other types of duct.

The deflectors 12 have a two-fold purpose-inst, to control the quantity of air; secondly, to control the direction of air. To increase the quantity of air, the detlectors 12 may be bent downwardly, thereby allowing more air to pass through the orifices 18. The deflectors 12 are individually adjustable and by closing off one or more of the deectors 12 by bending upwardly, the direction of ilow of air through the diffuser may be controlled. The diffuser 10 may be completely closed by bending the dellectors 12 upwardly and closing the orifices 18, Whereby no air would pass through the diffuser 10.

The adjustable baie 13 controls the throw of air from the diffuser 10. Throw of air is defined as the angular deflection of air leaving the diffuser 10 with respect to its initial direction as it comes from the supply duct 19,

Maximum throw results in maximum spread or coverage of air over the room. Minimum throw results in almost a vertical downward discharge of air from the diluserz Whentherresilient mountings 21 are engaged inthe top-.set ofhholesZS in the side walls ofthelvcasingll, the throw of air is maximum. When the resilient mountingstZl are engaged in 'the bottom set of holes 27 of the side walls 15 of the casing 11, the air throw is minimum. When the resilient mountings 21 are engaged in the middle set of holes.26 of the side walls 15 of the casing 11, the air throw is between maximum and minimum. Referring more particularly to Figure 2 of the drawings, the solid arrows 35 indicate the maximum air throw from the diiuser 10, andthe dotted arrows 36 indicateV the minimum air throw from Ythe diffuser 10.

Therefore, by adjusting the deflectors 12 and adjusting the baie 13, the quantity, direction, and the throw of air may be controlled.

Although this invention has been described with considerable particularity in connection with the illustrated embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of the construction or to the speciiic relations of parts there described, as many modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents are to be considered as being within the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a diffuser for the outlet of an air duct, a casing substantially rectangular in plan open at its lower end and having at side walls and a top wall, and substantially extent for varying the volume and angle of ow of air entering said casing through the openings in said top wall corresponding to said deectors and effective for directing the entering air against said flat side walls.

3. In a dituser for the outlet of an air duct, a casing open at its lower end and having a plurality of flat side walls and a flat top wall, and substantially segmental deflectors cut from said top wall and integrally attached to the central portion thereof at their inner ends, said deliectors being substantially aligned with and terminating sho-rt of said side walls, the outer ends of said deectors being respectively substantially parallel with said side walls and said deflectors being individually bendable downwardly and inwardly of said casing within the height of the latter and to variable extent for varying the volume and angle of ilow of air entering said casing through the openings in said top wall corresponding to said deliectors and elective for directing the entering air against said at side Walls.

4. In a dituser for the outlet of an air duct, a casing substantially square in plan open at its lower end and having at side walls and a flat top wall, and four substantially segmental deectors cut from said top wall and integrally attached to the central portion thereof at their inner ends, said detlectors being substantially aligned with and terminating short of said side walls, the outer ends of said deectors being respectively substantially parallel with said side walls and said detlectors being individually bendable downwardly and inwardly of said segmental detiectors cut from said top wall and integrally attached to the central portion thereof at their inner ends, said deectors terminating short of said side walls and being individually bendable downwardly and inwardly of said casing within the height of the latter and to variable extent for varying the volume and angle of flow of air entering said casing through the openings in said top wall corresponding to said deflectors.

2. In a diffuser for the outlet of an air duct, a casing substantially rectangular in plan open at its lower end and having flat side walls and a top wall, and substantially segmental deflectors cut from said top Wall and integrally attached to the central portion thereof at their inner ends, said detlectors being substantially aligned with and terminating short of said side walls and being individually bendable downwardly and inwardly of said casing within the height of the latter and to variable casing within the height of the latter and to variable extent for varying the volume and angle of flow of air entering said casing through the openings in said top wall corresponding to said deiiectors and eiective for directing the entering airagainst said flat side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,101,642 Lenning June 30, 1914 2,222,081 Leigh NOV. 19, 1940 2,269,376 ODay Jan` 6, 1942 2,369,303 Kurth Feb. 13, 1945` 2,600,926 Rudd June 17, 1952i 2,616,355 McCabe et al. Nov. 4, 1952 2,712,786 Argentieri et al July l2, 1955 2,719,476 Dovolis Oct. 4, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 732,524 France Mar. 14, 1932 

